Wesgro – Cape Town and the Western Cape’s official Tourism, Trade and Investment Promotion Agency – welcomes the positive economic impact that the Cape Town Carnival and the ABSA Cape Epic will have for the Cape economy this year. These two signature kicked off this weekend.
Last year, the Cape Town Carnival had an economic impact of over R41 million, with 1172 jobs being created. The ABSA Cape Epic added R304 million to the economy, and supported an impressive 1100 jobs. We expect a similar positive economic impact this year.
“Cape Town Carnival and the ABSA Cape Epic show that Cape Town and the Western Cape are open for business. We warmly welcome guests to enjoy the entertaining and activities, and encourage them be water-wise when doing so” commented Wesgro CEO, Tim Harris. “We applaud the organisers who dedicated months of meticulous planning to attract support and participation from local and international audiences alike.”
To ensure minimal water usage over the course of the weekend, both events have implemented water saving initiatives. Cape Town Carnival has made provision for chemical toilets only, with hydration for the event being sourced from outside municipal water grids.
Similarly, the ABSA Cape Epic announced a Water Neutral Prologue for the first leg this Sunday, with hydration supplied by aQuelle Serviced Water. As per previous years, the organisers have made use of non-potable shower water with initiatives to further reduce shower time, following the positive uptake last year. A conservative 25,000 litres maximum per day has been secured for catering and hydration purposes for the week-long event.
Tim Harris commended these water-wise efforts. “These two events show that it is possible to continue to host large events, while saving water. We are setting a new world-standard for how to respond to climate change, and events like these are playing a critical role in helping build a truly water-resilient economy in doing so.”
Minister of Economic Opportunities, Alan Winde, added: “Both the Cape Epic and the Cape Town Carnival are important events on the Western Cape calendar, aligned to our Project Khulisa tourism growth strategy. Events of this magnitude are a major tourism draw card, building on our reputation as a world class destination, creating growth and jobs for local residents. We also applaud the event organizers for making plans to be water neutral.”
